The Smashing PumpkinsUp until 1995, the band was generally referred to as "Smashing Pumpkins" and was credited as such on the records. Starting with the cover of and the promotion surrounding Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness the band's name was altered to "The Smashing Pumpkins" for the duration of the band's career. is a popular Americanalternative rock band which formed in Chicago in 1988. Although the band has seen several line-up changes, they have consisted of Billy Corgan (vocals/guitar), James Iha (guitar/vocals), D'arcy Wretzky (bass/vocals) and Jimmy Chamberlin (drums/percussion) for the majority of their recording career.
Having sold more than 25 million records worldwide by 2000,Fricke, David (2000-12-22). Smashing Pumpkins Look Back in Wonder (http). Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2006-10-25. with approximately 18.3 million albums sold in the United States alone as of 2006,http://www.riaa.com/gp/bestsellers/topartists.asp Retrieved September 262006. the Smashing Pumpkins were one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands of the 1990s, but internal fighting, drug use, and diminishing sales and cultural vitality hampered the band in their later years and led to a 2000 break-up. In April of 2006, the band officially announced that they were reuniting and recording a new album. So far, the only confirmed band members are Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin.Smashing Pumpkins discuss new album (http). NME.com (2006). Retrieved on October 23, 2006.
At the age of 19, singer and guitarist Billy Corgan left his native Chicago, Illinois, moving to St. Petersburg, Florida with his gothic rock band The Marked. The band had limited success and quickly broke up. Corgan returned to Chicago, taking a job in a record store. While working there, he met guitarist James Iha. Adorning themselves with paisley and other psychedelic trappings, the two began writing songs together (with the aid of a drum machine) that were heavily influenced by The Cure and New Order.Kot, Greg. "Pumpkin Seeds". Guitar World. January 2002. Corgan met bassist D'arcy Wretzky in 1988 after a show by the Dan Reed Network where they argued the merits of the band. After finding out Wretzky played bass, Corgan stated his band's need for a bassist and gave Wretzky his telephone number. Wretzky soon joined the band, and she and Iha would eventually have a short-lived personal relationship."From fighting to smashing", Washington Post, 1993-11-19.
The band in 1990
The first performance of The Smashing Pumpkins was on July 9, 1988 at the Polish bar Chicago 21. However, this performance only included Corgan and Iha with a drum machine.Kelly, Christina. "Smashing Pumpkins-The Multi-Platinum Band is over the infighting but can the harmony last?", US Magazine, 1995-12-01. On August 10, 1988, the band played for the first time as a trio at the Avalon Nightclub.Chamberlin, Jimmy. Interview. "The Modern Drummer Interview." Modern Drummer. January 1994.
After this show, Cabaret Metro owner Joe Shanahan agreed to book the band provided they threw out the drum machine and recruit a live drummer. Jazz drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was recruited for the band after a recommendation from a friend of Corgan's. The addition of Chamberlin was at first an unlikely match, as Chamberlin knew nothing of alternative music at the time. As Corgan recalled of the period, "We were completely into the sad-rock, Cure kind of thing. It took about two or three practices before I realized that the power in his playing was something that enabled us to rock harder than we could ever have imagined". On October 5, 1988, the complete band took the stage for the first time at the Cabaret Metro. Although not an official member of the band at this point, Chamberlin would soon be announced as such, and the complete four-person lineup from this first show at the Metro would be unchanged for the next seven years.
In 1989, the group had recorded a handful of demo tapes, which appeared later on the bootleg release Early 1989 Demos. Their first appearance on vinyl happened that same year when they appeared on the compilation album Light Into Dark with other Chicago alternative bands. They released their first record, a limited edition single of "I Am One", in 1990 on local Chicago label Limited Potential. The single sold out and they released another single, "Tristessa", on Sub Pop, after which they signed to Caroline Records.Keedle, Jayne. "Patchin' It Back Together", Hardford Advocate, 1996-10-01. The Smashing Pumpkins recorded their 1991 debut album Gish with Sonic Youth producer Butch Vig in his own studio, Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, for $20,000.Kot, Greg. "Out of the Patch for Smashing Pumpkins, New Album is another Sign of Liftoff", Chicago Tribune, 1991-06-21. In order to gain the consistency he desired, Corgan often played all instruments save drums, which created tension in the band. The music fused heavy metal guitars, psychedelia and dream pop, garnering them comparisons to Jane's Addiction.Rotondi, James. "Orange Crunch". Guitar Player. January 1996.Gish became a minor success, with the single "Rhinoceros" receiving some airplay in Modern Rock radio. After releasing the Lull EP in October 1991 on Caroline Records, the band formally signed with Virgin Records which was affiliated with Caroline. The band supported the album with a tour that included opening for bands such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction, and Guns N' Roses. During the tour, Iha and Wretzky went through a messy breakup, Chamberlin became addicted to narcotics and alcohol and Corgan entered a deep depression,Hilburn, Robert. "Smashing Pumpkins endures when (and what) other '90s bands couldn't", Los Angeles Times, 1998-07-03. Retrieved on 2006-09-07. writing some songs for the upcoming album in the parking garage where he lived at the time.Davis, Darran (2000-08-08). Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan Leaving Hometown Of Chicago. Yahoo! Music.
Mainstream success: 1992-1994
With the breakthrough of alternative rock into the American mainstream due to the popularity of grunge bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam, the Smashing Pumpkins were poised for major commercial success. At this time, and amid their protests, the Pumpkins were routinely lumped in with the grunge movement due to their cathartic sound and heavy metal influences such as Black Sabbath. In a Halloween night interview on MTV's120 Minutes in 1993, Corgan remarked, "We've graduated now from [being called] 'the next Jane's Addiction' to 'the next Nirvana', now we're 'the next Pearl Jam.'"Transcript of 120 Minutes interview, October 1993. Retrieved June 142006. The group nevertheless contributed the song "Drown" to the platinum-selling soundtrack of the 1992 movie Singles, a film set in the Seattle grunge music scene.
Sample of "Disarm", the successful third single from Siamese Dream (1993), described by a reviewer as showing "the band had just as much of a knack with the volume turned down as up"Raggett, Ned. Disarm. Review of "Disarm" from Siamese Dream. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2006-04-30.
Corgan said that in the wake of Nirvana's landmark 1991 album Nevermind, "We felt a great pressure that if we didn't come up with a record that was huge, we were done. It was that simple in our minds. We felt like our lives depended on it". Feeling enormous critical and commercial pressure, Corgan's depression deepened to the point where he contemplated suicide.Corgan has admitted on various occasions that the band's hit "Today" was written as an ironic statement about his suicidal thoughts at the time, perhaps most notably during the band's performance on an episode of VH1 Storytellers in 2000 To counteract his depression, Corgan worked overtime, saying he practically lived in the studio for the 1993 follow-up album, Siamese Dream. The album was recorded at Triclops Sound Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, mostly between December 1992 and March 1993, with Butch Vig reprising his role as producer; the band lived in Marietta during the Siamese Dream recording sessions. The decision to record so far away from their hometown was motivated partially to keep away from local friends and distractions during the recording, but largely as a desperate attempt to cut Chamberlin off from his known drug connections. In this respect, the strategy failed miserably, as Chamberlin quickly managed to find new connections and often was absent without any contact for days at a time.
The recording environment was fraught with difficulty. The band fought constantly. Contemporary music press portrayed Corgan as somewhat of a tyrant during the recording sessions (accusations that Corgan admitted there was some truth to, although he felt the press misunderstood the situation),Mundy, Chris. "Strange Fruit: Success Has Come at a High Price For This Chicago Band". Rolling Stone. April 211994. with rumors circulating that he had recorded all the guitar and bass parts himself. It was never confirmed exactly how much each member participated on the album; Corgan did say he performed a majority of the guitar work, but only because he could record tracks and parts in far fewer takes.Azerrad, Michael. "Smashing Pumpkins' Sudden Impact". Rolling Stone. October 11993. In all, it took over four months to complete the record with the budget exceeding $250,000. The troubles surrounding the recording sessions did not hamper the band's chances of success, however. Siamese Dream debuted at number 10 on the Billboard charts, sold over four million copies in the U.S. alone,Rosen, Craig (1999). Pumpkins' 'Dream' (http). yahoo.com. Retrieved on November 4, 2006. and garnered the Pumpkins international attention for the videos for the songs "Today" and "Disarm" through heavy rotation on MTV.
The band performing "Geek U.S.A." live with 50 professional clowns onstage after they were told they would be presented however they wished on tour. Commentary for "Geek U.S.A." live video. The Smashing Pumpkins 1991-2000: Greatest Hits Video Collection
While the Pumpkins were successful, they weren't universally adored by the alternative rock community. Accusations of careerism by the indie scene were levied against the band since its early days.Indie rock band Pavement's 1994 song "Range Life" refers to the band with the lines "I don't understand what they mean/And I could really give a fuck" which have been widely interpreted as an insult (although Stephen Malkmus, lead singer of Pavement, has stated "I never dissed their music. I just dissed their status.").Interview with Stephen Malkmus of Pavement (http). nyrock.com (1999). Retrieved on August 12, 2006. Former Hüsker Dü frontman Bob Mould called them "the grunge Monkees", and fellow Chicago musician/producer Steve Albini wrote a scathing letter in response to an article praising the band where he countered the Pumpkins were no more alternative than REO Speedwagon and determined them "by, of and for the mainstream" and "ultimately insignificant".Albini, Steve. "Three Pandering Sluts and Their Music-Press Stooge". Chicago Reader. January 281994. Others such as Courtney Love of Hole (who dated Corgan before marrying Nirvana's Kurt Cobain) were vocal supporters of the band.
In 1994, Virgin released the B-sides/rarities compilation Pisces Iscariot which outperformed Siamese Dream by reaching number four on the Billboard charts. Also released was a VHS cassette titled Vieuphoria featuring a mix of live performances and behind-the-scenes footage. Following relentless touring to support the recordings, including headline slots on the 1994 Lollapalooza tour and at Reading Festival in 1995, the band took time off to write the follow-up album.
Following this spell of concentrated creativity, the Pumpkins went back into the studio with producers Flood and Alan Moulder to work on what Corgan described as "The Wall for Generation X,"DeRogatis, Jim. Milk It!: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90's. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2003. Pg. 46, 80 a comparison with Pink Floyd's famous double concept album.
Sample of "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", the first single from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995) and winner of the 1997 Grammy award for Best Hard Rock Performance.
Sample of "1979", the second single from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995). The band's biggest hit and a precursor to their change in style.
The result was Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, a double album release featuring 28 songs and lasting over 2 hours (the vinyl version of the album contained three records, two extra songs and an alternate tracklisting). The songs were intended to hang together conceptually as a symbol of the cycle of life and death. Praised by Time as "the group's most ambitious and accomplished work yet",Review of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Time. November 131995.Mellon Collie debuted at number one on the Billboard charts in October 1995 and was even more successful than Siamese Dream, certified nine times platinum in the United States.Top 100 Albums. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on 2006-11-07. Sales for double albums are counted for each disc, thus 4.5 million copies of the double album package have been certified. At the time, the album was the best-selling double album of the decade."Germ Warfare", Newsweek, 1996-10-14. It also garnered seven 1996 Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year. The album spawned five singles--"Bullet with Butterfly Wings", "1979", "Zero", "Tonight, Tonight", and "Thirty-Three"--of which the first three were certified gold and all but "Zero" entered the Top 40. At 1997 Grammy Award, the band won Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal for "Bullet with Butterfly Wings". Many of the remaining songs that did not make it onto Mellon Collie were released as B-sides to the singles, and were eventually compiled in The Aeroplane Flies High box set. As a testament to the band's popularity at the time, Virgin Records originally intended to limit the set to 200,000 copies, but produced more after the original run sold out due to overwhelming and unexpected demand.MTV News staff (1996). Pumpkins' "Collectors" Set Has Mass Appeal (http). MTV.com. Retrieved on August 30, 2006.
The band's striking new image during the Mellon Collie tour.
Along with the success of the album, the band found commercial and critical acclaim with music videos. The '"1979" and "Tonight, Tonight" videos combined to win 7 MTVVideo Music Awards at the 1996 ceremony, including the top award, Video of the Year, going to "Tonight, Tonight". The video was also nominated for 3 Grammys at the 1997 ceremony. The critical success of these videos was met with equal fervor from fans. Of the "Tonight, Tonight" video, Corgan remarked, "I don't think we've ever had people react [like this]...it just seemed to touch a nerve."Corgan, Billy. Interview. Smashing Pumpkins Videography. MTV, New York. 1996.
This moment marked the height of the band's popularity. With considerable play on MTV, "Zero" shirts commonly sold in malls, and awards from major organizations, the band was considered one of the most dominant and popular bands of the time.Marks, Craig. "Zero Worship", SPIN, June, 1996.Violanti, Anthony. "Cool in Control Smashing Pumpkins Weathers the Storms of Celebrity", Buffalo News, 1996-06-30.
In 1996, the Pumpkins embarked on a massive world tour in support of Mellon Collie. Corgan's look--a shaved head, a longsleeve black shirt with the word "Zero" printed on it, and silver pants--was an iconic image of the period.Corgan, Billy. Interview. Breakfast with Billy. KROQ, Los Angeles. 1996-02-02.
The band also made a guest appearance in an episode of The Simpsons in 1996 titled "Homerpalooza". However, the year was not an entirely positive one for the band. In May 1996, the Smashing Pumpkins played a gig at The Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. The venue was overcrowded and despite the band's repeated requests for moshing to stop, a 17 year old fan named Bernadette O'Brien was crushed to death. The concert ended early and the following night's performance in Belfast was cancelled out of respect for her.Fan Crushed At Smashing Pumpkin's Show (http). MTV.com (1996). Retrieved on June 23, 2006. Despite Corgan’s protestations that moshing’s “time [had] come and gone,” the band would continue to request open-floor concerts throughout the rest of the tour.Durando, Stu. "Wary Of Injuries And Litigation, Concert Venues Take Extra Precautions To Deal With Moshing", St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1996-07-17.
The band suffered a personal tragedy on the night of July 11, 1996, when touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin and Chamberlin overdosed on heroin in a hotel room in New York City. Melvoin died, and Chamberlin was arrested for drug possession. A few days later the band issued a statement notifying the public that Chamberlin had been fired as a result of the incident.Errico, Marcus (1996). Smashing Pumpkins Drum Out Jimmy Chamberlin (http). eonline.com. Retrieved on June 21, 2006. Though the band finished the tour with another drummer and keyboardist, in retrospect Corgan called it the worst decision the band ever made, damaging themselves and their reputation in the long run. Meanwhile the band had given interviews since the release of Mellon Collie stating that it would be the last conventional Pumpkins record,Di Perna, Alan. "Zero Worship". Guitar World. December 1995. and that rock was becoming stale. James Iha said at the end of 1996, "The future is in electronic music. It really seems boring just to play rock music."Graff, Gary. "Smashing Pumpkins-Rave of the Future". Guitar World. December 1996.
Adore, MACHINA, and breakup: 1998-2000
After the release of Mellon Collie, the Pumpkins contributed three songs to various compilations. One of these was "The End is the Beginning is the End" (also appearing in a revamped form as "The Beginning is the End is the Beginning") for the Batman & Robinsoundtrack. Despite Chamberlin's absence, the song featured a heavy sound not unlike "Bullet With Butterfly Wings." The song later won the 1998 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. Despite this, the group's sound turned drastically away from guitar-driven rock with two additional songs from compilations: "Christmastime" from A Very Special Christmas 3 and "Eye" from Lost Highway. Both contributions relied heavily on electronic influences and served as precursors to the group's next album.
The band as a trio in 1998.
Recorded following the death of Corgan's mother and his divorce, 1998's Adore represented a significant change of style from the Pumpkins' previous guitar-based rock, veering into electronica. Trimming much of the guitar-driven sonic underpinnings, the record was cut using drum machines and was infused with a slightly darker aesthetic. The group also modified its public image, shedding its alternative hipster look for a dark Gothic persona. Although Adore received favorable reviews and was nominated for Best Alternative Performance at the Grammy Awards, the album had only sold about 830,000 copies in the United States by the end of the year, which lead the music industry to consider it a failure;Fricke, David (1998). When Billy Corgan Speaks... (http). Rollingstone.com. Retrieved on May 05, 2006. the album nonetheless sold three times as many copies overseas.
On June 30, 1998 the band embarked on a 17-date, 15-city charity tour. At each stop on the tour, the band donated 100% of tickets sales to a local charity organization. This act of charity caused the band to lose money on the tour due to the costs incurred, which had to be entirely funded from the band's own pockets. All told, the band donated over $2.8 million to charity as the result of this tour.MTV News staff (1998). Smashing Pumpkins Raise Over $2.8 Million On Charity Tour (http). MTV.com. Retrieved on August 30, 2006.
In 1999, the band surprised fans by reuniting with a rehabilitated Jimmy Chamberlin for a brief tour dubbed "The Arising", which showcased both new and classic material. The lineup was short-lived, however, as upon the completion of 2000's MACHINA/The Machines of God, Wretzky departed the band. Former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur was recruited for the "Sacred and Profane" tour in support of the album. Auf der Maur also appeared in the videos accompanying the album.
MACHINA was initially promoted as the Pumpkins' return to form, after the more gothic, electronic-sounding Adore; however, on its release, many reviewers and fans took issue with the album's "Wall of Sound" production, finding that what was intended to have been a reappearance of the band's signature hard rock sound had been overprocessed — in particular, stripping away the warmth and nuance for which Iha's and Corgan's guitar work had become known.[citationneeded] In addition, many longtime fans became disenchanted with the conceptual nature of the album and its mystical and spiritual themes. The album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard charts, but quickly disappeared and as of 2006 has only been certified gold.Tarlach, Gemma. "Once-sizzling bands grapple with fading fame" (http), Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2000-04-11. Retrieved on 2006-09-27. (in English)Gold and Platinum Database Search. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on 2006-09-27. Music journalist Jim DeRogatis, who described the album as "one of the strongest of their career," noted that the stalled sales fof MACHINA in comparison to teen pop ascendant at the time "seems like concrete proof that a new wave of young pop fans has turned a deaf ear toward alternative rock."DeRogatis, pg. 84-85
The band's touring line-up in 2000 with Chamberlin back on drums and Melissa Auf der Maur replacing Wretzky on bass.
On May 23, 2000 in a live radio interview on KROQ (Los Angeles), Billy Corgan announced the band's decision to break up at the end of that year following additional touring and recording.Cohen, Johnathan and Newman, Melinda (2000). Corgan: Smashing Pumpkins To Break Up (http). Billboard.com. Retrieved on May 04, 2006. The group's final album before the break-up, MACHINA II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music, was released in September 2000 in a limited pressing on vinyl with permission and instructions for free redistribution on the Internet by fans. Only 25 copies were cut, each of which was hand numbered and given to friends of the band along with band members themselves. The album contained 1 LP and 3 EPs released under the Constantinople Records label, created by Corgan. This is the only Smashing Pumpkins album released that is not under the Virgin Records label. Originally, the band asked Virgin to offer Machina II as a free download to anyone who bought Machina. When the record label declined, Corgan opted to release the material independently.
On December 2, 2000, the Smashing Pumpkins played their final concert at The Metro, the same Chicago club where their career had effectively started twelve years earlier. To commemorate this, and as a special thank you to their fans, attendees at the concert were given a recording of the band’s first concert at The Metro, Live at Cabaret Metro 10-5-88. The Smashing Pumpkins' final commercial recording was a single, "Untitled", released to coincide with the final show. A video of the entire 4 hour concert (3 main sets and 4 encores in total) has yet to be released, though a video of the final performance of "Fuck You (An Ode to No One)" is included on the Greatest Hits Video Collection (1991-2000) DVD.
Post breakup
2001 saw the release of a greatest hits compilation, Rotten Apples (Greatest Hits), which included various singles spanning their career. The double disc version of the album, released as a limited edition, included a B-sides/rarities collection called Judas Ø. The Greatest Hits Video CollectionDVD was also released around the same time, which compiled all of the Pumpkins promo videos from Gish to MACHINA along with unreleased material. There is one notable omission, "The End Is the Beginning Is the End". This was excluded because the rights are owned by Warner Brothers, who loaned out the band from their regular label, Virgin Records.Vieuphoria was released on DVD in 2002, as was the soundtrack album Earphoria, previously only released to radio stations in 1994.
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